Brimpton Parish Plan 4 Design Statement: the Process 5 Brimpton Design Statement: Planning Guidelines 6 A

BRIMPTON PARISH MAP

Brimpton Village Design Statement CONTENTS

page Brimpton Parish 2 Brimpton Parish Character Areas 3 Brimpton Parish Plan 4 Design Statement: the process 5 Brimpton Design Statement: Planning Guidelines 6 A. Landscape Setting 6 B. Settlement Character 7 C. New Buildings and extensions 8

1 BRIMPTON PARISH

Brimpton lies just south of the A4, roughly halfway parish is criss-crossed with footpaths which provide between Newbury and Reading. It is a small rural easy access to this rural environment. Gravel has settlement with 221 houses, most of which are to be been extracted from fields to the north of the village found in three distinct areas: the village, Brimpton centre but that work has now finished and the land Common and Hyde End. The total population is has been restored to agricultural use together with about 550. some lakes which provide habitat for wildlife as well as recreation for fishermen. The landscape is mainly low-lying with the river Kennet running through the northern part of the All three areas of the parish have a long history of parish, and the river Enborne through the southern habitation and many of the houses in each of them part. The soil in these river valleys is mainly London are several hundred years old. In view of the parish's Clay on gravel. The two areas of relatively high proximity to clay, it is not surprising that most ground are the village centre, which is on a ridge houses are constructed of brick and tile. Indeed, this that separates the two valleys and runs westward past is probably the only common factor relating to the Hyde End to Crookham; and Brimpton Common, many different styles of house that have developed which is on a plateau to the south of the Enborne in the parish over the centuries. valley. The facilities include a shop with post office, pub, There are several working farms and the agricultural hairdresser, primary school, parish church, Baptist land, both dairy and arable, comes close to the church and village hall. village centre separating the three distinct parts of the parish from each other. As a result, all parts of The roads through the village are narrow and the parish have a rural character and most houses winding, and this reinforces the rural character of have a view over open countryside. In addition, the the parish.

2 Brimpton Village Design Statement BRIMPTON PARISH CHARACTER AREAS

In January 2007, the WBC Development Control buildings are mainly two storeys, constructed from Manager visited Brimpton and identified three red/brown facing bricks under plain clay tile or natural "character areas" in the parish: slate roofs. A number of the older properties use Flemish Bond for the brickwork and have an interesting 1. Brimpton Road / Manor Farm dental course at the eaves. Chimneys are a prominent The layout of the dwellings in this area is formal with feature on many buildings which add interest to the dwellings fronting onto the highway with a strong roofscape. The visual appearance of this part of the building line. Hedges define the boundaries of the village is enhanced by the topography of the land which properties which help to soften the built development. provides an interesting and varied roofscape. The The dwellings themselves are two storeys, narrow highway is also very informal in terms of its layout and spanned and of a simple design using a mixture of alignment with grass verges and limited kerbing. materials which includes red/brown facing brick, and roughcast render under a plain tile roof. Roofs of the 3. Enborne Way dwellings are punctuated by chimneys and in many This is a formal layout of dwellings served by a cul de cases gabled dormers which add interest. Windows sac with dwellings fronting, but set back from, the tend to be two or three light casements painted white. highway. Boundaries are formed by hedges which The highway is also very informal in terms of its layout soften the impact of the built form. The dwellings are and alignment with grass verges and limited kerbing. constructed of red/brown brick under concrete tile roofs. The dwellings are all of a similar design, some 2. Area centred around, & south of, the War Memorial with strong front projecting gables and all with two and The layout of the dwellings in this area is more organic three light windows painted white. Chimneys are a with dwellings of various sizes sitting in their plots in a prominent feature. Dwellings are mainly two storeys random manner. Boundaries of the properties are but there is a small group of bungalows situated close to formed by a mix of attractive walls and hedges. The the main road through the village.

3 BRIMPTON PARISH PLAN

After extensive consultation within the parish and with West Berkshire Council (WBC), Brimpton produced a Parish Plan in 2003. This document was based on the results of the Parish Appraisal which was a comprehensive survey in 2002 into what people in the parish wanted. The survey, containing 70 questions covering all aspects of life in Brimpton, was completed by 74% of households in the parish.

One of the key areas covered by the Parish Plan was "housing & building development". The Plan's recommendations, which were adopted by the Parish Council and Area Forum, included:

1. Brimpton should remain a small rural settlement and any housing development should be limited to small-scale infilling.

2. Any new houses should be in keeping with the rural environment and be complementary to existing houses nearby.

3. The Settlement Boundary should not be enlarged.

4. Street lighting should not be permitted.

5. Roads should not be straightened as the bends should act as natural traffic calmers.

4 Brimpton Village Design Statement BRIMPTON DESIGN STATEMENT: THE PROCESS

As with the Parish Plan, consultation has been at the Following this consultation, the draft Design heart of the development of the Design Statement. Statement was delivered to every house in the parish The Design Statement is based on the views of the together with an invitation to attend a public people living in the parish (as expressed in the meeting on 23rd October 2006 to express their comprehensive 2002 Parish Appraisal) and the views on the draft proposals. Parishioners were also policies already adopted in the 2003 Parish Plan. given the opportunity to contact the chairman of Further consultation has been undertaken in the the Working Party if they were unable to attend the process of developing the Design Statement meeting: several did so, all expressing support. including a Parish Flyer inviting comments that was Thirty parishioners were present at the public distributed to all households in March, followed by meeting and unanimously endorsed the proposals. a public meeting on 20th April 2006. Following the public meeting, the Final Draft of the A working party of six parishioners, with Design Statement was approved by Brimpton Parish representatives from each of the three distinct areas Council on 7 November 2006. It was subsequently of the parish, was set up by the Parish Council to presented to WBC for consultation with statutory consult with parishioners and relevant officers at bodies and was formally adopted by the Area Forum WBC, and to draft the Design Statement. in January 2007.

The Working Party consulted Sarah Ward, Parish Planning Development Officer at Community Action West Berkshire; and on 26th July met Paula Amorelli, Senior Planning Officer at WBC, to get her input.

5 BRIMPTON DESIGN STATEMENT: PLANNING GUIDELINES

The Design Statement reflects the views and wishes A. Landscape Setting of the majority of people living in the parish, and these planning guidelines are intended to help guide 1. Any future development should conserve or the design of future development in Brimpton. enhance the landscape character of the area. These guidelines are consistent with, and support, Care should be taken to preserve or enhance the broader policies already adopted in the Parish the rural settlement character of the parish. Plan.

The planning guidelines should also be read 2. The character and pattern of open spaces alongside the WBC Supplementary Planning within the parish that separate the three Document series "Quality Design" which applies to distinct areas (the village, Brimpton all developments, both residential and commercial, Common and Hyde End) should be retained across the district. in any future development.

3. Any new development should ensure that the biodiversity of the parish is conserved or enhanced.

6 Brimpton Village Design Statement B. Settlement Character to how existing garden land contributes to the character of the area, and to how the 4. Within the context set by the West Berkshire cumulative effect of proposals impacts on the District Local Plan 1991-2006, any character of the area. proposed development should respect the constraints of The Settlement Boundary, the Conservation Area, and the Area of Special 7. Consideration should be given to the scale Landscape Importance. and design of front and rear gardens to ensure that they are in keeping with the character of the street scene. Infilling with 6. 5. Any new development should respect the more than one or two houses may be rural nature and local character of its unacceptable because of the loss of garden environment and its setting in the wider land and the overall disruption to the landscape. character of the area and the prevailing pattern of the street scene. Proposals that would result in the loss of garden land, either through infilling or through wholesale redevelopment of residential properties, should be carefully considered. Consideration should be given

7 8. Any traffic management measures should be C. New Buildings and extensions designed to be in sympathy with the rural character of the area. To avoid a suburban 11. Any development should respect appearance, widening or straightening of the neighbouring properties in scale, siting, style country roads would not be welcomed unless and use of materials. there were specific and over-riding reasons of highway safety. 12. New buildings should generally be not more than two storeys high and should respect 9. The village centre is at the top of a hill and existing ground levels. particular care should be taken with the height of new buildings to ensure that they do not dominate existing buildings or 13. The footprint of new buildings should be unbalance the street-scene. proportionate to the area of the site; and the scale of front and back gardens considered as an integral part of the design. 10. Where appropriate, any future development should seek to retain key community facilities such as the church, shop, pub and school.

8 Brimpton Village Design Statement 14. Extensions or alterations to existing 17. Any external lighting should be carefully buildings should respect the character, designed, and should be sited to minimise features, scale and proportions of existing light pollution. structures. Existing proportions, styles and aspect ratios for windows and dormers should be respected. 18. In accordance with WBC's Parking Strategy, appropriate provision should be made for parking in new development. The manner in 15. The roof height of extensions to existing which car parking is arranged should be buildings should not be higher than the roof carefully considered to ensure that it does height of the original building. Particular not dominate the space but does allow safe care should be taken in the village centre to vehicular access and egress. ensure that new or extended roofs do not dominate existing buildings or unbalance the street scene. The materials used should 19. Property boundaries should be in keeping match/complement the existing materials. with the rural village setting. In particular, existing native hedges and brick walls should be retained wherever possible. The 16. The provision of facilities for saving energy replacement of existing hedges and walls by and water in both new buildings and solid wooden fences should be avoided. extensions is encouraged, subject to the overall appearance meeting the other guidelines of the Design Statement.

9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Parish Council thanks the following:

The Working Party that produced the Village Design Statement: Charles Brims, Irene Neill, Gaila Adair, Catherine Bamforth, Vivien Lagerborg and Susannah Ferguson.

Paula Amorelli, Senior Planning Officer, WBC Paul Jackson, Development Control Manager, WBC Sarah Ward, Parish Planning Development Officer, Community Action West Berkshire Teresa Newson and Melissa Elliott, Greenham Common Trust All those in Brimpton who answered questionnaires, attended public meetings or gave other feedback to the Working Party.